Telemarketers and other entities placing unsolicited telephone calls have created an increasing volume of nuisance telephone calls both to homes and to businesses. Various systems and methods have been used in an attempt to screen telephone calls such that these nuisance calls can be rejected and calls from preferred callers can be accepted. According to one technique used at home, a called party can listen to a message being left by the caller on an answering machine and determine whether or not to pick up the telephone and answer the call. This technique, however, does not entirely eliminate the nuisance of unwanted telephone calls because the called party must still listen to the message being left on the answering machine.
According to another system and method, a caller ID system can be used to identify the caller according to the telephone number of the caller. The user can use this system to screen calls based upon the telephone number of the telephone line on which the call is placed. In other words, the user can reject calls that are not identified as coming from a telephone number associated with a preferred caller. This technique also has some limitations in that a preferred caller may be unintentionally screened out when the preferred caller is placing a telephone call from a different telephone having a telephone number that is not associated with the preferred caller.
Other types of call screening systems prompt a caller to enter a code or PIN number to complete a call to a called party. In such systems, however, the code or PIN number is established by the called party and given to the preferred callers from whom the called party will accept telephone calls. If a caller does not enter the called party's code or PIN number, the telephone call from that caller will not be accepted. This technique also presents a problem in that the callers are required to remember the code or PIN number selected by and unique to the called party, and most likely must remember multiple codes from multiple called parties using the system. Also, if a called party gives the code or PIN number to a caller and then desires to prevent the caller from calling, the called party must change the PIN number and notify all of the other preferred callers of the change.
Accordingly, a system and method is needed for effectively screening nuisance telephone calls and accepting telephone calls from preferred callers independent of the telephone line placing the call and without using a code or PIN number unique to the called party.